Witness slip-up nearly leads to mistrial

WEST CHESTER — Prosecutors in the case of a man accused of murdering another with a pair of scissors faced a potential mistrial Wednesday after a witness referenced the defendant’s criminal history in front of the jury.

Samantha Wylie testified Wednesday morning in the murder trial of her ex-husband, 46-year-old Damon Wylie, who is accused of fatally stabbing 41-year-old Marcus Miles during a fight last summer in Coatesville. Miles died in surgery at Paoli Hospital about two hours after he was stabbed 14 times with a pair of scissors inside a home in the 700 block of Diamond Alley.

Samantha Wylie testified that her ex-husband arrived at her home that night shirtless and bloody. When she asked what had happened he would not answer, Wylie said. When the witness was asked what Damon Wylie said when he left her house, Samantha Wylie made a passing reference to a comment the defendant made about not wanting to return to jail.

That comment implied that Damon Wylie has a criminal history, a fact the jury was not meant to know during the trial. Defense attorneys Sheryl Wilson and Lauren Holt, of the Chester County Public Defender’s Office, raised an objection and the jury was asked to exit the courtroom while the ramifications of the comment were discussed.

Judge Anthony A. Sarcione then presented Wylie and his defense team with three options. They could file a motion for a mistrial, ask Sarcione to instruct the jury to disregard the comment, or move forward without drawing any more attention to the statement.

Officials in the District Attorney’s Office said prosecutors instructed Samantha Wylie not to mention her ex-husband’s criminal history multiple times, including just before she took the stand. The comment was subtle, but still enough to potentially influence the jury, officials said.

After discussing the options with his attorneys, Wylie chose to move forward with the trial. His defense team did not ask Sarcione to instruct the jury to disregard the comment, as it would only draw more attention to it. Sarcione then instructed Samantha Wylie not to mention her ex-husband’s criminal history while on the stand. The jury was brought back into the courtroom and the trial resumed.

When Sarcione asked Wylie if he understood his options, the defendant said he was eager to continue with the trial.

“I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible,” Wylie said.

The trial continued with testimony from medical workers from the Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where Wylie was treated in the days after Miles’ death. According to the witness testimony, Wylie checked himself into Crozer-Chester’s emergency room to receive treatment for lacerations on his right hand. While Wylie was there, he suffered two seizures that required additional treatment. Chester County Detectives eventually located Wylie at the hospital and placed him under arrest.

While in the hospital, the witnesses said, Wylie told multiple members of the medical staff that he had suffered the hand injuries while he was working with sheet metal. One witness, Dr. Sophia Sherman-Weber, said Wylie told her he suffered the injuries while attempting to wrestle a pair of scissors away from an attacker. That statement was made after the medical staff was aware of the criminal investigation surrounding Wylie, Dr. Weber said.

The prosecution was expected to call expert witnesses when the trial resumes Thursday morning.